Wednesday Commute Thoughts

I drove to work today because I plan to stick around for this evening's blogger gathering. If it's the third Wednesday of the month, it's Coffee Society time.

As regular readers know, I dislike driving to work. I dislike it more now that there is the nagging awareness that my car is not only sitting in traffic, but that it's also wasting gas while it sits in traffic. I interpret today's willingness to drive as an indication of how much I like attending blogger gatherings.

Anyway, to beat the boredom that usually overtakes me as I sit in my car, I tried to pay close attention to my thoughts so I could record them here for future amusement. Here they are the ones I can remember:

• When traffic is actually moving on the highway, it moves at a constant speed, which, in 2006, is approximately 80 mph in all lanes.
• I never understand why people speed to the bottleneck that invariably forms at every highway interchange. The reason the bottleneck forms is because everybody speeds. If they reduced their speed by 20 mph over the course of their commute, they might not need to reduce it by 80 mph at the interchanges. This is what I thought as I kept pace with the flow of traffic.
• I can never seem to sing the lead vocal line of "Don't Worry Baby" all the way through. Somewhere in the middle, I'm usually so caught up in the song that I inadvertently revert to one of the harmonies. The only way to avoid the slip is to actually concentrate on what I'm singing. That would mean listening to me, which would take all the fun out of singing in the first place.
• I'm paranoid about abandoned vehicles. I spotted three Toyota Corollas left on the side of the freeway, approximately two or three miles apart. Any normal person would think, "Wow, that's a coincidence. I feel bad for those unfortunate people. I hope they get their cars fixed soon." I, on the other hand, think, "What are the odds of three cars of the same make breaking down on the same road in the span of a week? That seems awfully suspicious. Does the Department of Homeland Security know?"
• Carpool lanes, by law, are for motorcycles, hybrid vehicles and vehicles with two or more occupants. Carpool lanes, by observation, are for the vehicles I just listed as well as fast sports cars driven by people whose egos are big enough to qualify as second occupants.
• If I have a red light and want a sip of coffee from my spill-proof mug, it doesn't matter where the signal is in its cycle, the light will turn green the moment I reach for the cup. This explains why, despite several attempts, my cup was nearly full by the time I reached the garage.

By the way, tomorrow is Bike to Work Day in the Bay Area. Public transportation agencies and bicycle coalitions are holding special events and giving away free swag to cyclists at certain locations around the Bay. So, if you have a bike, give it a try. Ride safely and don't forget your helmet. I don't own a bike or a helmet yet, but when I do, I'll be sure to join in the fun.